See link. Prosecutors are getting really tough on financial criminals.

More...

Tough? 15 years for $600M?

Tell that to one of the "three strikes" victims...this guy stole three children's videos and he'll be eligible for parole at the age of 87. (he's 44 now)

California's three-strikes law says that if someone commits a third felony after committing two prior similar felonies, then the sentence is a mandatory 25 years to life.

In such a case, Leandro Andrade was given not one but two sentences of 25 years-to-life for stealing nine children's videotapes, including "Snow White," "Cinderella" and "Free Willie 2."

The tapes were worth $153.54, and lawyers for the state of California argue that the penalty is both correct and constitutional. But the other side argues that Andrade's punishment is cruel and unusual.

That's how America blows up its taxpayers money. For 43 years at the cost of 30K per year, it all boils down to 1.29 Million dollars, not including the compounding rate of interest the cost will grow at. What if this man was made to do community service like cleaning roads or picking garbage etc. for no wages for six months..............would have cut down on government spending by a value 100 times that of $153 worth of videos.